One travels to Tokyo for Japanese food, but there might come a time during your travels when you need to scratch an itch for Chinese food. Enter Din Tai Fung, a popular and reliable dim sum chain with over 100 restaurants worldwide. There are 17 branches in Japan alone, a testament to the country’s love for good dumplings. There’s a branch conveniently located on the 12th floor of Takashimaya Times Square in Shinjuku, making it a good lunch break between all the shopping you’ll do in the building. The menu at Din Tai Fung is extensive, and dining dim sum style is great for large groups. And being able to order many smaller-portioned dishes is also great for solo dining.

Din Tai Fung’s signature dish is the xiaolongbao, a thin-skinned dumpling filled with juicy pork and hot soup. Each one is handmade, and you can even watch the workers folding them. Carefully place one on your spoon, being careful not to pierce the skin and allow the soup to dribble out onto the bamboo steamer. Bite a small hole in the skin and slurp carefully. Then eat it. First-timers may find eating this fairly hazardous, but you’ll be a pro at handling them in no time.

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